In a recent conversation on the Goop podcast, the Iron Man actress shared that it took her several years to cultivate a bond with Brad Falchuk’s children, his daughter Isabella, 20, and son Brody, 18, whom he shares with film producer Suzanne Bukinik.
While discussing the complexities of stepparenting, the Oscar-winning actress admitted that it is far from easy.
“Stepparenting is a pretty tricky arena. It demands a significant amount of accountability, vulnerability, understanding your own triggers – and it seems nothing quite provokes someone, particularly women, like stepmothers,” she observed.
Paltrow, who has two children, Apple, 20, and Moses, 19, with her former husband Chris Martin, shared her challenges in integrating Falchuk into her children’s lives, stating, “What tends to happen every time is the dad is in the middle. The kids are struggling to understand and adjust, they are reluctant to let go of their existing family dynamic, and the dad is trying to appease everyone and see both sides,” she confessed.
“And the woman is thinking: Hey! Your kids are having a tough time! It’s very easy to take it personally,” Paltrow continued.
“I think women enter the situation wanting harmony and with good intentions, envisioning a seamless blend like the Brady Bunch,” the mother of two noted, adding, “But the reality is, the stepmother often becomes the target for acting out – because the children don’t want to alienate their father.”
It is important to recall that Paltrow separated from the frontman of Coldplay in 2014 after a decade of marriage.
Paltrow, who began dating Falchuk a year after her split from Martin, married the film and television producer in 2018.
